Good Shepherd Sunday! Always on this Sunday we have a Gospel text relating
to Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Today the Gospel of John reminds us that if
we belong to Jesus, then we know His voice. We need to remember that
knowing His voice does not mean that we are always completely faithful to
it. But we know it and it is the voice that leads us. Mercy within
mercy.

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles today shows these early followers
of Christ united among themselves but having conflicts with others. We
know from other parts of the New Testament that in time, the early
followers of Jesus also had conflicts among themselves. This is part of
our human condition and we should never be surprised when conflicts arise,
even within our own Church. The challenge for us as followers of Christ is
to resolve conflicts in the way that Christ does: with love and humility
and the willingness to suffer for the other person.

The Book of Revelations today speaks of martyrdom for the sake of Jesus.
This martyrdom takes place in all ages of the Church. We are told that
today we have more martyrs than any other age of the Church. Many of us do
not experience that challenge in our lives. We must open our eyes and
realize that martyrdom is a real possibility even today. It is a reality
today in many areas of our world.

The joy of this Sunday is the promise of Jesus that we are in His hand and
in the hand of the Father. We must choose to remain there by striving to
live our life of faith with great love and with generosity. It is never
easy. It is easier to go to Church on Sunday than it is to be loving and
generous twenty-four hours a day! It is easier to make sure we go to
confession than it is to give our own personal time for the good of
others.

Today we must show our faithfulness to the Good Shepherd by our actions:
letting Him lead us and form us and guide us. May His mercy and
forgiveness draw us deeper into His divine life.